Igbo Culture In Things Fall Apart

The book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is about a man named Okonkwo, who was constantly battling with his internal trepidation although he was known throughout the villages for being a fierce, vigorous, and powerful warrior. He feared weakness and failure (anything to be considered “feminine”) more than dying out on the battle front. Through this character Achebe portrayed the profound human beliefs and characteristics of one culture to another.

The agricultural aspect of the Igbo culture was unlike the ones of modern day. Yams were the supreme nutrient in every meal. They called these yams “king of the crops.” Moreover, people utilized this food for every customary celebration and used kola nuts as an offering to their personal god or “chi”. The yams, as Achebe had said, sometimes associated or connected with the
When a man wanted to marry a woman he basically had to buy her from her relatives in order for him to be accepted. The wives had to make food for their husbands every day and they had to obey every command that was given to them. Even if the command went against their will they could not question their husband’s authority because in their culture disobeying your husband was highly frowned upon. When a baby was born, it was to belong to the husband and his family instead of the wife’s because the man was the leader of the family and the wife was to do everything he said. When a man was in exile, he would have to stay with his mother’s family until the period of exile was done. Additionally, if a woman died, she was taken home to be buried with her own family and not with her husband’s. The author described the traditions distinctly in the book because they revealed individuality of the women in that tine and these customs made the story more interesting to the